September 26, 2012

This year, I have selected Rodney Haven for my Commissioner’s
Spirit of Portland Award. Rodney works
for Central City Concern’s Clean & Safe Program as a “restroom technician”,
and has become an unofficial spokesperson for the Portland Loo. He has been
featured in local papers, videos and in news articles as prominent as the LA Times for his participation in
various Portland Loo inaugural flushes as well as his day-to-day maintenance
responsibilities.

From
CCC’s website we learn that Rodney, “formerly homeless and calling the shelter
of the Ross Island Bridge “home” for some time, [he] has worked with Clean
& Safe for [four] years – taking care of the “loos” is his main job and he
visits each of the public restrooms twice daily. He is also the first
responder for emergency clean up needs in the facilities. Rodney disinfects the
loos from top to bottom, removes graffiti, resolves clogs, disposes of trash
and any drug paraphernalia and restocks supplies. “It’s a unique job,” he
says. “There are details … around the edges, under the rim, odors….” Once a
week, the facilities are pressure washed.”

Rodney
performs a thankless yet vital job, maintaining an amenity that services
everyone in Portland, but most notably, Portland’s most
vulnerable citizens- homeless people without a place to relieve themselves with
dignity- a situation Rodney found himself in not too long ago. Rodney does this dirty job with an enthusiasm
displayed in the video “Can’t Hardly Wait” that showcases the spirit of Portland and I earnestly
offer his name for the final Commissioner’s Spirit of Portland Award that I
will have the honor of selecting.

The Spirit of Portland Awards ceremony will be held on Monday, October 29th from 7:00 pm- 9:00 pm at the Doubletree Lloyd Center, 1000 NE Multnomah St.

Spirit of Portland awardees to be recognized at Double Tree Hotel on October 29

PORTLAND – From 50 nominations submitted by the community, a selection committee has selected the 2011 Spirit of Portland awards. The awardees will be recognized by City commissioners at the 27th annual event on Monday, October 29, from 7 to 9 p.m. at the, Double Tree Hilton Portland 1000 N.E. Multnomah, Portland Oregon. A reception with cake will follow the awards presentation.

Double Tree Hotel Portland is a co-sponsor of this year’s Spirit of Portland event by providing the venue at a significant discount to the City to support this community-oriented event.

“The Spirit of Portland awards are a wonderful tribute to the many amazing community and neighborhood leaders who contribute to our thriving civic life in the City of Portland,” says Commissioner Amanda Fritz, commissioner-in-charge of the Office of Neighborhood Involvement.

Awards were determined by a selection committee of representatives from the Mayor’s and City Commissioners’ offices, the Office of Neighborhood Involvement, the Neighborhood District Coalition offices, Business Associations, diverse non-profit community organizations and past award winners. In addition, the Mayor and each commissioner have recognized individual and organizational leaders.

The award recipients and the categories for which they are being honored are:

Mayor Sam Adams

Gwyneth Gamble Booth

Dr. Preston Pulliams

Commissioner Nick Fish

Grant High School Community Garden Team

University of Portland Women’s Soccer Team

Commissioner Amanda Fritz

Northeast Broadway Business Association

Commissioner Randy Leonard

Rodney Haven

Commissioner Dan Saltzman

Oregon College of Oriental Medicine

Miriam Green, Oregon DHS, Child Welfare Program Manager

THE SPIRIT OF PORTLAND WINNERS (CHOSEN BY COMMITTEE) ARE:

Community Stewardship

Kathy Fuerstenau

Bruce Murray

Outstanding Organization

Bradley Angle

Albina Head Start

Independent Spirit

Charlene Williams

Community Harmony

Gigi Lambert

Linda Nguyen

Emerging Community Leader

Chabre Vickers

Outstanding Partnership

Arlene Kimura

Neighborhood Association of the year

Ash Creek

Sandy Diedrich Award

Friends of Mt. Tabor Park – Weed Warriors

The facility is fully ADA compliant. The Office of Neighborhood Involvement will make reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities and/or language interpretation upon request. Please notify us no less than five business days prior to the event by phone 503-823-9970 City's TTY at 503-823-6868, or by the Oregon Relay Service at 800-735-2900.

The Double Tree Hotel Portland is near stops for the following Trimet lines: Busses 8, 70, 73, and 77, Blue, Green and Red Max lines.

September 25, 2012

Firefighters were dispatched at 6:51am to report of black smoke and flames coming from a commercial structure at SE 158th Ave and Division St.

SE Division St is being closed between 157th and 160th Ave, morning commuters should expect delays.

Initial crews arrived to find heavy fire involvement and began an aggressive interior attack on the fire. The building is divided into several occupancies which has further complicated the incident. An investigator is responding.

Fire cause, updates and photos will be posted as they become available.

I have struggled with Mayor Sam Adams’ desire to have
the City Council support his decision to appeal the Employment Relations order
to hire back the police officer that shot and killed Aaron Campbell as Mr.
Campbell was complying with police directions as he attempted to surrender to
police on the scene.

I have a long history of working with and even
developing - while a member of the Oregon State Senate - Oregon’s public
employee collective bargaining laws.

I have a deep and passionate belief in the integrity of
our laws that protect the rights of all public employees - but especially
firefighters and police officers - to bargain their wages, hours and working
conditions.

I also believe strongly that where a contract provides
for “binding arbitration” that we, as the leaders of the City of Portland,
should respect the outcome of those disputes whether we win or
lose.

However, no one can argue that the current issue
involving the shooting of an unarmed black man in the back as he was doing
everything he was instructed to do by the police to surrender to them shocks the
moral conscience of each of us. It seems implausible to me that such a shooting
death by a Portland Police Officer can be consistent with what the Portland
Police Bureau trains its officers to do. In fact, Chief Mike Reese has said as
much.

I do not believe the chances are good that the Oregon
Court of Appeals will overturn the Oregon Employment Relations Board order that
we hire back the police officer that shot and killed Mr. Campbell. However, I
have just read the statement that Portland Police Association President, Daryl
Turner, gave to the Oregonian. In part, this is what Mr. Turner said to the
Oregonian:

"He [Mayor Sam Adams] is showing the questionable
integrity that he's had all during his tenure.”

Really, Mr. Turner? How do you characterize the
integrity of your members’ actions that led to a complete breakdown of all the
training the Portland Police Bureau provides officers to avoid tragedies such as
the indefensible killing of Aaron Campbell?

And I don’t mean just the lack of integrity by the
officer that pulled the trigger that killed Mr. Campbell.

I include the supervisors and negotiators on the scene
that ignored the incident command system that led to a breakdown of the left
hand not telling the right hand what it was doing. The result of this
shockingly out-of-control incident was the killing of a man that should have had
the police helping him- not shooting him as he ran for cover as a result of
being hit with a barrage of shot gun bean bags as he was attempting to
surrender.

No, I don’t think we have a great chance of winning…but
we do have a chance.

Consequently, I will support Mayor Adams’ request to
appeal the Employment Relations Board decision to the Oregon Court of
Appeals.

September 24, 2012

Portland Fire was dispatched at 4:14 pm to reports that approximately 500 gallons of an unknown substance had spilled onto NW Bridge Road at Germantown Road.

Upon arrival, Truck 22 and Engine 22 (St. Johns) discovered a tote container filled with roofing tar that had slid out of the back of a pickup truck. Approximately 200 gallons leaked out of the tote onto the roadway.

The material is very slow flowing and viscous, and does not pose an environmental hazard. Maintenance crews have been notified for road cleanup.

Commuters that use Germantown Road via St. Johns should expect long delays and using alternate routes is advised.

At 7:18 am Saturday Portland Fire & Rescue responded to report of a residential fire at 1421 SE Pine St. Engine 13 (Lloyd District) arrived at 7:23 am and found the front porch of the house fully involved in fire and the roof over the porch beginning to collapse. It was also noted that the power line coming into the home was on fire and arcing. Fire crews took special precaution to avoid the involved power line. A hose line was stretched to the back of the house in order to enter the residence and extinguish the blaze from the unburned portion of the house. This technique kept the fire crews from working beneath the power line and allowed for hose streams to push the fire away from the house. While extinguishing the fire, crews also conducted a search of the house to make sure there were no victims inside.

Two additional hose lines were stretched to each side of the house to prevent the heavy amount of fire from extending to the neighboring homes. The fire had extended into the attic space and basement so a truck crew was placed on the roof to expose the hidden fire in the attic and an engine crew was placed in the basement to extinguish the extending fire.

The fire was declared under control at 8:14 am and some fire crews remain on scene mopping up. PGE was called out to the scene to shut off power to the residence so crews could work safely. No injuries were reported on this fire. An investigator from Portland Fire & Rescue is on scene working to determine the cause of the fire and damage estimates. More information will be provided as it becomes available.

Portland Fire & Rescue wants to remind citizens that during a fire there are multiple hazards (energized power lines, natural gas, etc.) and the safest option is to exit your home as quickly as possible and wait at a safe distance and in the visibility of firefighters.

The cause of this fire has been determined to be careless smoking and the fire damage estimate is $80,000.

September 19, 2012

Firefighters were dispatched to a fire at 9:32 pm (99th and E. Burnside) and arrived to a fully involved shed that was spreading to a commercial building next door. The Chief quickly called for a 2nd Alarm (more resources) so they could contain the fire and protect the business (Printing Today , 9943 E. Burnside). Workers were evacuated while fire crews extinguished both fires and checked the roof to make sure that the business was safe to re-enter.

Fire Investigators are on scene to determine a cause and assess a damage estimate. No one was injured during the incident.

September 18, 2012

At 3:30 PM today, Portland Fire and Gresham Fire were dispatched to a report of grass on fire on the north side of Powell Butte. Upon arriving, fire crews noted that there were two separate fires burning in the park. The first fire was approximately 50' x 75'and three employees of a contracted construction company had already been putting water on the fire, helping to contain it.

"The second fire was up the road and then 300' up the hillside," said Battalion Chief Craig Funk of Portland Fire. "We had to use Brush Unit 29 (Powellhurst) to get to the fire and then replenish the Brush Unit's water supply off of the fire engines."

The two fires were declared under control at 4:20 PM. At the time of this press release, crews remain at the scene, ensuring that the hot spots are out. The cause of the fires is under investigation.

Because of the difficulty in accessing brush or wildland fires, Portland Fires & Rescue has four Brush Units, strategically placed around the city near the wildland interface areas. A Brush Unit is a 4-wheel drive pickup truck with a modified bed. The Brush Units are able to access terrain and go into places that aren't possible for a fire engine to reach. They carry specialized wildland firefighting equipment and are equipped with a 250-gallon water tank and pump.